Vinnie Pestano named Indians' Bob Feller Award winner

Relief pitcher Vinnie Pestano won the 2012 Bob Feller Award, given to the Cleveland Indians' Man of the Year.

In an otherwise disappointing season, the Indians bullpen stood out as a bright spot. Early on, Pestano was a main reason for that success. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Pestano came out hot, but eventually let the team's failures affect his personal performance.

"For me it was a tale of two seasons," said Pestano. "For the first 4 1/2 months, I pitched up to my capabilities and a little beyond. For the last six weeks, I struggled just like the team.

Still, Pestano finished with a more-than-respectable 3-3 record, a 2.57 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 70 innings. The Indians were 50-20 in his games Pestano appeared in last season. He finished second in the AL in holds with 36, only one behind Tampa Bay's Joel Peralta. In his three-year MLB career, Pestano owns a 2.50 ERA and holds an impressive 3.17 stikeout-to-walk ratio.

Jason Kipnis, Chris Perez, Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera were also nominated for the Cleveland Indians 2012 Bob Feller Award.